What's Different About Next Week's M19 Allocations

April 26, 2018 |
2 min to read

The scheduling window for Core Set 2019 opens next week, which means your expected allocation numbers for Prerelease will hit your inbox soon.

Core sets are about acquisition. Their return means the game again offers a booster product aimed at less-enfranchised players, and an evergreen first purchase: no matter when a player takes up Magic, there's a go-to introductory product—core set Planeswalker Decks.

Which brings us to:

1. You'll have an allocation of Planeswalker Decks to use at Open House.

Open House has brought tens of thousands of new players to the in-store Magic universe. But what to send them home with, besides a Welcome Deck, was always an open question, since the latest expansion was still two weeks away.

So for M19, we're going to try something new: in addition to your Prerelease allocation, you'll have a second allocation of Planeswalker Decks for Open House. You will choose your distributor for those Planeswalker Decks when you schedule your Open House event. (You can choose a different distributor than the one you chose for Prerelease.)

2. Prerelease allocations are based on Dominaria or Rivals—whichever's higher.

In the old days, core set allocations would be based on attendance for previous core sets. Can't do that this time, since the last core set was three years ago. So we'll look at Dominaria or Rivals of Ixalan, whichever happens to be higher.

Dominaria (DOM)

Core Set 2019 (M19)

Total Prerelease Packs

108

126

Baseline Prerelease Packs

72

90

Growth Prerelease Packs

36

36

Attendance

94

N/A

We'll start with the higher attendance between RIX and DOM to determine your baseline allocation for Core Set 2019, then we'll add growth product as a percentage of your baseline.

(Also note: attendance at Battlebond Preview Events will never impact any Prerelease allocations.)

3. Only scheduling a traditional Prerelease will guarantee your final M19 allocation.

Like with Rivals and Dominaria, you'll have the option to schedule Prerelease Parties—casual, open play events with no pairings and no round structure, designed to enable the maximum use of Prerelease Packs. Get tips on how to run them here.

Quick reminder: Prerelease Parties are not a replacement for Prerelease. They're a way to help you avoid turning away business. The only way to guarantee you'll have access to the Prerelease product shown in your allocation email is to schedule a traditional Prerelease.

To avoid any negative impact on your future allocations, we recommend using Prerelease Parties sparingly and focusing on your main events.

Look out for your allocations next week, and make sure you sign up for Open House for a chance to send new players home with the latest set two weeks early!